Im from sweden and am 17 year old(born 1988) and i play ILB,(maybe thats obvious from my name ) and i need some advice on improving my game.
I weigh 202 pounds and am 5-9

Ive been playing for 2 years and i got pretty good insticts in defending the run, but i need to improve several fundamental skills.

I thought id begin with my physical abilites. Im pretty strong for my age
( atleast i think so ) ive only weight trained seriously for like 8 months now, and i can bench 242 pounds and im constantly improving. I can squat 330-340 pounds, if i go down 90 degrees.
I havent really learnt the thenique in power cleans yet. But my problem is my agility and speed.
My 40 yard is 5.2 and i havent tested my vertical yet but i think it would be awful.
Any tips on how to improve these things?

And now on to my football skills.
Im a pretty good runstuffer, but sometimes i dont know how to defeat a OL coming straight at me. ( I play in our senior squad, so i need to know how to defeat a much bigger OL cos these guys are like 5-15 years older than me)
I need to work a bit on my tackling, sometimes i tend to armtackle, espesially on FB dives, dunno why, but thats just one of those things you work on in practice and eventually it will click.
But one big concern for me is pass defending. I played DE before and so then i could just passrush and kick some rectum instead of being forced to try to back out in zones and that kinda ****.
The thing is i am really not fluid in my movement to the zones and dont really have a feel for defending the pass yet.

And i also need to learn how to play OLB, cos the coaches for the senior squad wants me to play that a bit too. So how do i adjust to that?

Anyone got any tips for all my questions?

The thing is i want to do atleast a year in HS as a foreign exhange student and would like to improve my game as much as possible.

Anyways i know this is kind of a long thread but i had alot of question .

April 1st, 2005, 12:55 pm

m2karateman

RIP Killer

Joined: October 20th, 2004, 4:16 pmPosts: 10408Location: Where ever I'm at now

Best thing I can tell you about taking on an approaching lineman is to go through them. Many times the last thing a lineman expects is someone smaller than him to stick his butt. As you approach you need to explode your arm beneath his shoulder pads and force him up and back. The pads will push up and back into his neck forcing his head back. Where the head goes the body follows.

As for pass coverage, the best advice is to try and improve your play recognition skills first. The earlier you can recognize a pass play the more time you have to settle into your coverage zone (presumably the hook zone around 10 to 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage) and then put your head on a swivel and look for anyone crossing your area. Try to keep your eyes on the tight ends and backs especially. If you are responsible for a flat or deep middle third due to safety or OLB blitzing, you better learn those play recognition skills.

And though I am a bit biased, I might also suggest martial arts training and yoga. The martial arts training will teach you how to divert force effectively and quickly, and the yoga will help develop muscle elasticity which will help in both strength training and speed.

If you take up a martial art, try taking something like Kung Fu or Tang Soo Do, something based on Chinese arts rather than the Japanese arts, such as Tae Kwon Do or Shotokan Karate. Chinese arts focus on diverting force where as Japanese arts focus on force against force.

Good Luck!

_________________I will not put on blinders when it comes to our QBs performances.

April 1st, 2005, 1:27 pm

theAlphaMale

Site Admin

Joined: August 6th, 2004, 1:25 amPosts: 4920Location: Hills of Auburn

Mike...what age is good to start doing martial arts?

_________________Regards, Alpha|Lionbacker.com \(^o^)/"I date this girl for two years and then the nagging starts: I wanna know your name..." - Mike Binder

April 1st, 2005, 1:33 pm

SwedishILB

Baton Girl

Joined: February 21st, 2005, 11:42 amPosts: 13

Thanks for the tips, Mike. I?ll look into the martial arts stuff.

April 1st, 2005, 1:42 pm

conversion02

RIP Killer

Joined: January 26th, 2005, 9:34 pmPosts: 10955Location: Sycamore, IL

I study Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, it's awesome. Been doing it for about 3 years now. It's hard work and I work at it about 2 hours every day, sometimes longer if I need to do more Qigong or Taijiquan.

April 1st, 2005, 1:51 pm

m2karateman

RIP Killer

Joined: October 20th, 2004, 4:16 pmPosts: 10408Location: Where ever I'm at now

theAlphaMale wrote:

Mike...what age is good to start doing martial arts?

It depends. The earlier the better. At my school we start teaching kids basics at age 4 or 5, depending on their ability to control themselves and pay attention. Strictly pad only limited contact. It starts with teaching them basic stances, commands, respect and how to fall.

For someone who wants to start their child or themselves on a 'serious' basis, I suggest around 7 or 8. This way the child is used to a school environement and has some social skills. Also, they still have a certain limberness. Better to get involved prior to puberty, especially for males.

I got involved when I was 18, studied Isshinryu karate for about a year and had to quit (college). I didn't get reinvolved in martial arts until about six years ago when I was taking my son for Tang Soo Do. I decided to study, and that was at age 30 something.

For anyone who wants to start, I highly suggest visiting various schools and watching for how many instructors are involved in a class, what the class size is, what their principles are, and what type of personality the head of the school has. It can have a huge impact on your final decision.
The school I attend is actually a mixed martial arts self defense system devised by a gentleman who has been involved with MA and boxing for over 40 years. The lesser the class size, the more instructors available, the more you get your moneys worth. Some schools focus on tournaments and not so much on practical self defense. There is a HUGE difference.

Also, I would suggest that if you or your child wants to start, try getting involved with a school that doesn't require you to sign a long term contract to join. Three or six month contract maximum should be a good initial start to see if you (or your child) really are serious enough to stick with it. No use paying a bunch of money up front and end up quitting after two weeks or a month.

_________________I will not put on blinders when it comes to our QBs performances.

April 1st, 2005, 4:20 pm

thedanzone

Varsity Benchwarmer

Joined: March 23rd, 2005, 11:48 pmPosts: 212Location: Westland

conversion02 wrote:

I study Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, it's awesome. Been doing it for about 3 years now. It's hard work and I work at it about 2 hours every day, sometimes longer if I need to do more Qigong or Taijiquan.

That's all foriegn to me, but I bet it's good stuff.

Back to the topic.

I wish I could help, but I never played football.

When I tried to sign up my mother wouldn't let me and my step father could care less. I actually forged my mom's signature and stole the money from my step fathers wallet. I got caught after a few practices went by and my uniform was still filthy. The coach called me out.

April 1st, 2005, 4:36 pm

theAlphaMale

Site Admin

Joined: August 6th, 2004, 1:25 amPosts: 4920Location: Hills of Auburn

My son who is 5 is going to do a short program over the summer...if he likes it and does ok (black belt at least) we may have him continue.

_________________Regards, Alpha|Lionbacker.com \(^o^)/"I date this girl for two years and then the nagging starts: I wanna know your name..." - Mike Binder

April 1st, 2005, 4:37 pm

The Legend

Veteran NFL Head Coach

Joined: February 11th, 2005, 3:01 pmPosts: 5043Location: WSU

Work on the Power Cleans. Technique and reps is more important than your strength on the clean. Do you have someone who can teach you? Power Cleans will help you with your speed and your squat strength. They are the single best lift for speed. If you want to work on your speed, you should run sprints as well. For game endurance, sprints sandwiched around a distance run 1.5-2 miles is great. Also, running a .5-1 mile warm up helps before weight lifting. The jump rope is also great for speed and agility, just 10 minutes or so a day will go a long way and is a pretty tough workout. If you can do 10 minutes in a row you're pretty tough.

As for the lineman dont try to overpower them straight on very often. That kind of contact is usually enough for the RB to get by. You will wear yourself down throughout a game by doing that. Dont let them get a piece of you. Stay low and use good technique. Attack half a man when they are in the way, use a forearm shiver, rip past them, or even use a quick swim move. Do not run around them or behind them, that takes you out of the play. Remember the path of least resistance is not the best way. The key is to anticipate the play and move, lineman have a hard time getting to you if you are already flying to the ball. Your coaches should be teaching you these things already but I will help with you w some basic keys for recognition.
-Always know who the best runner is, if he is in the game, where he is lined up and what hand he holds the ball in. He will tend to run to that side. Communicate this and the formation w/ teammates.
-Know the down and distance to help predict pass vs run.
-The FBs and Guards will help you determine where the play is going. The FB usually leads through the hole the RB is headed for. Follow any lineman who is pulling, the ball will follow behind him. With time this becomes instinct. Call out pulls to your teammates.
- Watch the O-line stances and splits before the snap. A guy leaning back is going to pass block. A guy leaning forward will run block. Tight splits indicate inside runs and wide splits on one side indicate sweeps the other way. After the snap, your D-line should be shouting what kind of play it is pass or run. Make sure they do this, that is their job and they should know right away based on whether or not they are attacked by a lineman.

The mental part of this game is huge. Pay attention to fundamental details like those above and the general flow of the game, line calls, audibles, etc.
Can give you a better advantage than improving your physical strength and speed.

April 1st, 2005, 9:16 pm

Yorick

ST Coordinator – Joe Marciano

Joined: March 22nd, 2005, 8:42 pmPosts: 3811

Take advice from the best: Chris Spielman. Hours before the game imagine the opposing running back doing unspeakable things to your mother. Then when you hit the gird iron you will be fired up!

April 2nd, 2005, 7:09 am

m2karateman

RIP Killer

Joined: October 20th, 2004, 4:16 pmPosts: 10408Location: Where ever I'm at now

theAlphaMale wrote:

My son who is 5 is going to do a short program over the summer...if he likes it and does ok (black belt at least) we may have him continue.

Five is a good age to see it he will maintain interest. We can see it in kids that are just starting out. Some of them it's the parents that drag them there, and other ones can't wait to get into their gi and start class. It's just a matter of preference and personality. If you really want to see if he is seriously interested, watch what is taught to him in class and see if he practices at home. Try things with him at home and see if he maintains his attention to it. If he just isn't interested, then let him go. No use forcing the child to do something they just don't want to do.

Let me know how it turns out.

_________________I will not put on blinders when it comes to our QBs performances.

April 2nd, 2005, 3:27 pm

SwedishILB

Baton Girl

Joined: February 21st, 2005, 11:42 amPosts: 13

Thanks for all the tips guys. Im gonna start with jump rope exercise, like 10-20 mins a day. Thanks for the replies